My son told me to write about this …

Two days ago I posted a blog on love. Once I hit publish, I told my boys that I wasn’t sure I liked what I’d written. It’s odd because I’d not written in a while. Well, actually, I’d written at least 10 posts in the last two weeks, but didn’t like anything and just didn’t post them. I felt stuck. When I told the boys about my problem my son said, “Why don’t you write about that? People get stuck all the time.”

I’m for sure stuck.

Being “stuck” is a feeling, not a fact. Yet, the more I thought about that “feeling” the worse it got. I had no more good blog ideas. I was missing focus and direction. I was stuck in more than one area of my life.

I’m not going to ask you to admit it (or write it!), but I know we’ve all been stuck. The question is how do we get unstuck:

First step – take nothing for granted, including being stuck. This was tough for me because I didn’t like the feeling of being stuck.

Second step – let go of yesterday’s regrets. Forget your frustrations. Ignore old pain. The energy it takes to hang onto these things is what holds us back from a new beginning. So true.

Third step – acknowledge that feeling stuck is a sign that it’s time to make a change. It could be a change of heart, a change in perspective, or a change in habits. But the point in any case is that what we’re doing is no longer working.

Imagine yourself as a river, flowing into an ocean. Typically a river grows narrower and looks like it lacks movement just before it breaks through to the larger body of water. The same thing happens as we prepare for a breakthrough in life. Our flow must contract before it can expand. And the contraction is equally important to the expansion.

Fourth step – If you’ve been asking the same questions for a while and you’re still stuck, it’s probably not that you haven’t been given the answers. It’s probably that you missed (ignored) the answers you were given. Remember, it takes courage to admit that something needs to change, and a lot more courage to accept responsibility for making the change happen. Growth and change may be painful and confusing. But nothing in life is as painful as staying stuck where you don’t belong. Remember, the only person who can truly hold you back is you.

We need to let go of what “should” or “could” happen. We need to appreciate life’s’ various little surprises and joys. Yes, I’m still be stuck. But for today, I’m going to feel thankful for where I am and those in my life. I’m sure the rest will unfold and I’ll “see” what I’m supposed to do next (or at least I’ll find my next blog topic!).